home
by street smarts
Summary: rachel is finally here to stay and finn couldn't be happier. a series of oneshots where finn and rachel explore their relationship in their 20s / au
1. prologue

**hello and welcome to another "home" based finchel story! i know a lot of people have written about glee's original ending, but i started thinking that it'd be fun to explore finn and rachel's relationship once she comes home. it'll be written in chronological order, at random dates following rachel's return. the main reason that i wanted to post this was because of cory. his six year death anniversary was two days ago, and i've been missing him a lot lately. this is in honor of him. rest in paradise, my favorite drummer.**

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_PROLOGUE — SEPTEMBER 2, 2020_

Finn Hudson had it pretty good. He'd gotten his teaching degree five years ago, and he'd been working at McKinley since day one. Figgins had offered him a job as an English teacher, and while Finn wasn't necessarily the most articulate with the language, he'd jumped at the chance.

Rachel had really rubbed off on him in the last few years, still using words he didn't even know existed. He spent countless nights looking up what they meant, and eventually he began using them in his own vocabulary from time to time. ( Just thinking about it made him feel like a total nerd. In the good way, of course. )

Finn was still helping Mr. Schuester out with the New Directions, and he couldn't have been more pleased with the work. The students he'd helped after his own senior year had graduated already, and new sets of hopefuls kept coming in every year. Glee club still wasn't very popular, but he supposed that there would always be people who were interested in the arts.

He kept in contact with almost every one of his friends from high school, the love of his life included. Kurt was working for Vogue full time now, though he'd been in a few Broadway shows since graduating from NYADA. Blaine was still right by his side, working on films with Artie, who had quickly become one of the most desired film makers in New York. Kitty had moved in with him like she'd wanted to, and they were happy.

Tina and Mike were married now, she on Broadway while he was a professional dancer. Brittany followed a similar path, having worked as a back-up dancer for Beyoncé for a few tours. Santana was right behind her as the opening act for the United States leg, traveling across the world as support for the rest of it.

Quinn and Puck were married too, which had surprised Finn at first, but he really should have seen it coming. After Puck joined the Air Force, he'd really straightened up and proved to Quinn that he could be the man to support her and love her. While completely over what happened during sophomore year, Finn still felt like they were good for one another, though now it was genuine rather than out of spite.

Rachel had just won her third Tony back in June, for her role as Zoe Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen. He remembered that she'd ranted about the show being drawn out for too long, but she ended up loving the part and the cast. Finn missed her terribly, but he could still feel their tether as strong as it had been the very first day.

Sam and Mercedes were in Hollywood, working together on her next album. Her first had been a hit with the critics, and they wanted to get a move on with newer and better things. Finn didn't know what their relationship was like. They seemed affectionate but no labels were thrown around. As long as they were happy, then he figured everything was alright.

Newer ( but still old ) friends like Marley and Ryder visited often, since they were both attending colleges in Ohio. Jake popped in every once in a while, usually one summer vacation when he could get away from Los Angeles for a little while. Unique had also moved to Hollywood upon Mercedes' request. Last he heard, a few duets were in the making.

As for Finn, well, he was content. He was about to turn twenty-seven, and life was good. Sue still tormented the glee club, but not nearly as bad as she had back in his day. ( God, that made him feel so old! ) Mr. Schue was expecting his second kid with Emma, and had asked Finn to work with the club for Sectionals. He'd been happy to take the reins.

It'd been a long day already, at the second week of the school year. He wondered if every day was going to feel like this, and if he would eventually grow tired. He did learn to like coffee, however, so maybe he wouldn't be too tired after all.

Finn hummed quietly as he entered the glee room, smiling as he was greeted by ten smiling faces.

"Good afternoon, you guys. I hope you've had a wonderful summer." Various answers were given in response, before he was allowed to move on.

"As you guys know, this is our first glee club meeting." Finn shot a pointed look at his students. "I know you're all dying to know when auditions will be held. And the answer is tomorrow. Today is just a day to practice singing in harmony once more, got it?"

The room had gone silent, which was unusual. Finn raised an eyebrow, his hand reaching to rub his face.

"Is something happening that I don't know about? Should I be concerned?"

One student technically answered his question, pointing at the door. Everyone's eyes were trained on one specific spot.

"What, did I leave the door open? That's standard protocol around here, you guys know that." Finn sighed and turned to see what the big fuss was, only to see the one person he'd wanted to see most.

"Rachel." He breathed, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Look at you, Mr. Hudson, using big words like protocol." She teased, slowly approaching him with the grin he'd always loved.

"I mean, I have you to blame for that." Finn swallowed down the lump in his throat. "What are you doing here?"

The smile that graced her lips made him forget about everything other than her, like the rest of the world fell away. It was the smile that had always been reserved for him, and it still made his heart pound against his ribcage.

"I'm home." she whispered, and that was when he knew that this was it. The universe had done it's thing. She had returned to him, just like he'd always hoped she would. He didn't waste a moment, crossing the floor to cup her face in his hands. His lips were pressed to hers in an instant, and he felt complete.

"Get it Mr. Hudson!" One of his students shouted, and Finn stepped away from her. He cleared his throat.

"Everyone, I'm sure Mr. Schue has told you all about the original New Directions. You've seen photos and YouTube videos, so I doubt I have to introduce her." He glanced at her, smiling all the while.

"But this… This is my Rachel."


	2. chapter one

**ahh okay here's the first chapter ! i've been really emotional lately ****and i felt that a nice, somewhat angsty talk was in order. ( don't worry, this is straight up tooth rotting fluff, though maybe a tiny bit heartwrenching ) i hope you guys like this chapter, since i wrote it in about half an hour. ( i'm like wonder woman today, it's crazy ) please let me know what you think of it, whether by a review or just favoriting the story! **

**disclaimer : i do not own glee or any songs and characters used in this story unless stated otherwise.**

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_CHAPTER ONE — SEPTEMBER 4, 2020_

Finn sighed under his breath as he slammed the door of his truck closed. It'd been a long day of grading papers and preparing a setlist to practice with the new glee club members. He really did love his job, but it was exhausting sometimes.

He walked up his driveway, house key already out and ready to open the front door. He put the key into the lock, surprised that the door was already unlocked. Panic immediately bubbled in his chest, and he wondered if he'd been robbed. In an instant, he was inside the house and searching for anything out of the ordinary.

Nothing looked out of place, but the smell of spaghetti sauce welcomed him. Confused, Finn shut the door and placed his things on the couch before heading toward the kitchen to investigate.

And there she was, in all of her glory. Rachel hummed quietly as she poured the noodles into a colander, barely glancing up at the sound of footsteps.

"Hey, Finn!" she greeted, turning to face him once she'd drained the water from the spaghetti. "You're home late."

Blinking, Finn crossed the floor to meet her by the stove.

"Uh, yeah, I guess I am." he said quietly, grabbing a spoon to dip into the marinara sauce. He popped it into his mouth, groaning at the taste. Rachel's smile was so wide, he thought it'd break her face.

"I forgot how great of a cook you were." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, moving to wash his hands on the opposite side of the sink to avoid getting soap on the noodles. "And not that I'm complaining, but what's all this for?"

Rachel is silent for a few moments, and alarms sound in his head. Had he said something wrong? Did he offend her somehow? What was she not telling him?

"For you." she finally said, looking up at him with those beautiful brown eyes that he loved so much.

"Why?" he questioned, reaching for a rag to dry his hands. "You know that I could have made dinner for us."

Things had been a little weird since Rachel's return, to say the least. It felt like she'd been here for two weeks, rather than just two days. He hadn't quite gotten used to her presence, and every conversation, while casual, felt a little forced. He'd made dinner for the first two nights, not bothering to change his routine just yet. So coming home to Rachel's cooking, while appreciated, was a surprise.

"I know, you just..." she sighed. "You deserve it, okay? We've been through so much and I just popped in out of the blue."

He opened his mouth to interrupt, but he was effectively silenced by her hand.

"And you should know that I appreciate it. I appreciate you waiting for me all these years. I appreciate you loving me despite everything." Her voice was thick, like she was fighting back tears. "I appreciate you, Finn Hudson, and damn it, I should be allowed to show you every once in a while!"

Tears were now steadily spilling over her cheeks, her bottom lip trembling like she'd been holding this in for a while. Chuckling softly, Finn pulled her into a hug.

"Rach, I would wait a million years for you, you know that. I would do anything for you." His voice was soft, encouraging. "I've loved you since that day in the theater, when I was an insecure kid who didn't know how to listen to his heart."

Rachel sniffled, burying her face into his shirt. Finn couldn't fight a smile.

_"When the rain is blowing in your face, and the whole world is on your case." _He sang softly, rocking her gently to help her calm down. _"I could offer you a warm embrace to make you feel my love..."_

Her voice is muffled by his clothing, but he can still hear her singing along.

_"When the evening shadows and the stars appear and there is no one there to dry your tears. Oh, I hold you for a million years to make you feel my love..."_

Finn kissed her forehead, his hand cupping her chin so she would look up at him.

"That was the first song we sang in the car, remember?" She nodded, and tears pricked at his eyes. "And it's the song that will always describe how I feel about you. You're it for me."

Rachel bit her lip for a moment, before standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"You're my person." she whispered against his lips, her arms reaching up to wrap around his neck. "We are endgame."

Hearing those words come from her mouth this time finally brought on the waterworks, and Finn was grateful that no one was around to poke fun at him for being sappy.

"I love you, Rach."

She kissed him once more.

"I love you too."

They stood like that for a moment, just enjoying one another's touch. He could have stayed like that for hours, holding her close. And he would have too, if the timer on her phone hadn't started beeping insistently. They shared a laugh, pulling apart to prepare for dinner.

Finn was the first to move, reaching for the plates he had in the cabinet. Rachel crossed the kitchen to open the silverware drawer. They silently assembled their plates, taking a seat at the table once everything was ready. Casual conversation broke out almost immediately, and the comfortable atmosphere was enough to make him forget why he'd been stressed in the first place.

"So when are you going to bring the rest of your things from New York?" he asked in between bites of spaghetti, raising an eyebrow at her from across the table.

"Oh, I sent it all to my papa's place." Rachel answered, seeming rather embarrassed. After her fathers had divorced, she didn't know who'd be best to take care of her things when she came back to Lima. Hiram had moved to Toledo while Leroy relocated to Seattle, so she'd sent her things to the former's place since it was closer.

Finn's eyebrow was still raised, as if asking her to elaborate. Sighing, she gave in to his silent plea.

"Papa lives here in Ohio while Dad moved to Seattle, so I left my stuff with him in case things didn't work out here." Her voice was quiet, almost sounding ashamed.

Finn went silent, and she could clearly see that he was thinking about how to word his next thoughts.

"Did you think things would go south? By coming back to me, I mean." His mouth was suddenly dry, like when the dentist sucked all the moisture out with that weird tool.

"I hoped that everything would be okay." she muttered, looking down at her half finished plate of food. "But I had to play it safe."

In less than thirty seconds, Finn was up on his feet and pulling her up onto hers. Startled, she lost her footing and almost pulled him down with her. She surely would have landed on her ass if his hand wasn't pressing against the small of her back to hold her steady.

"Rachel Barba Berry." He started, effectively silencing the questions she wanted to ask. "That day at the train station was the hardest day of my life. It was the day I let you go so you could grow, without me. And every day since then, I hoped and prayed to whatever god is out there that you'd come home to me."

Her voice died in the back of her throat, a fresh set of tears steadily building up until her vision was blurry.

"And the universe did it's thing. You're home, you're mine, and I couldn't be happier, okay?"

Instead of answering with words, she jumped up into his arms, holding onto him like her life depended on it.

"I love you." He whispered into her hair.

"I love you more." she replied, nose buried into the crook of his neck. He chuckled, and she immediately knew which words would leave his mouth next.

"If you say so."


	3. chapter two

**okay, so here's the deal. this chapter was much longer than this, so i decided to split it into two parts. i'm not the world's ****biggest fan of line breaks in my own writing, so i try not to use too many if i can avoid it. anyway, i wanted to write about going to one of the berry dads' houses, because it's always fun to watch the boyfriend interact with the dad ( or in rachel's case, dads. ) this time, it's hiram, but leroy will make an appearance soon enough. also, in this story, and likely any future finchel stories i write, finn's birthday is september sixth!**

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_CHAPTER TWO — SEPTEMBER 6, 2020 PART ONE  
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"Finn, are you sure that you're okay with this?" Rachel asked, eyeing the street signs in the distance as the darkness enveloped the area between all of the street lights. "It's your birthday, and you shouldn't have to spend it driving all day so we can get my things."

He laughed, shaking his head as he drove them closer to the airport.

"Rachel, Toledo is less than an hour and a half away from Lima." He reminded her, glancing up at the rearview mirror for a brief moment. "I promise everything is okay. And besides, tomorrow is Labor Day so there's no school. I can relax then."

She sighed loudly, giving him a pouty look that accentuated her dark and sleepy eyes.

"I still feel like this could have waited for a later date. You should be spending your birthday with your family."

"Your dads are my family, too, ya know."

She went quiet for a moment, trying to think of a response. She could see his smirk out of the corner of her eyes, and she quickly swatted his shoulder because of it.

"Stop it Finn!"

"Stop what?" He laughed, pulling up to the gas station she'd asked him to stop at.

"Stop smirking like that!" She huffed, though her annoyance was fleeting as she yawned.

"It's not every day that one catches Rachel Berry when she's speechless." He reminded her, leaning across the center console to kiss her forehead. "Now head inside because you absolutely had to stop. I told you to go to the bathroom before we left."

Rachel stuck her tongue out at him as she stepped out of his truck, pausing for a moment as she looked between Finn and the brightly lit gas station.

"Babe?" Finn muttered, raising an eyebrow as she climbed back over the passenger seat. She pressed a kiss to his lips, small hands cupping his face.

"I just felt like kissing you." she finally said, kissing him one more time before officially exiting the vehicle and heading inside.

"Get me a coffee!" He shouted after her, hoping that she'd heard.

Once she was out of sight and in the building, Finn couldn't fight his smile. Rachel sure was something else, but she was his.

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"So what time is Finn getting back?" Hiram Berry asked, handing his daughter the cup of tea she'd requested.

It had been half an hour since the two had arrived in Toledo, and Finn had dropped Rachel off at her dad's so she could catch up. She appreciated it, but wished he'd stayed anyway.

"Thank you." Rachel said quietly, taking a sip. "He said that he was going to get gas while you and I had breakfast, so he really should be back by now."

Hiram knew his daughter well, knew her tendency to worry about those she loved. He also knew that she was somewhat of a stress eater, evidenced by the rather quick way she ate her toast.

"Rachel, I'm sure traffic is just bad. It's been raining pretty hard lately, as I'm sure you both saw once you got here."

She nodded in response, glancing down at her phone to see if Finn had texted. He hadn't.

"Maybe his phone is dead." She whispered to herself, taking a long sip of her drink. "I wouldn't be surprised, since he didn't charge it during the drive up."

"Is that so? What was he doing the whole time, aside from actually driving?"

"Singing, of course. We were in show choir, Daddy. It's what we do." Rachel smiled at her father, happy that he was still supportive of her relationship with the man she loved. A knock on the front door caught her attention, and she was shuffling across the floor in an instant. She opened the door, only to be greeted by a soaking wet Finn Hudson.

"Daddy!" She called, grinning widely. "Finn's back!"

He smiled at her, wiping rain water off of his face. Hiram crossed the floor and looked over his daughter's shoulder, eyes widening.

"Well, you certainly did get caught in the rain. Come inside before you catch a cold. Happy birthday, by the way"

"Let me go get a towel." Rachel muttered, making her way to the bathroom to retrieve one.

Finn hurried inside, running a hand through his ( very wet ) hair.

"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Berry. Though I do wish it hadn't been because I was soaking wet on your doorstep. And thanks." He held out a hand to her dad, hoping that he still approved of their relationship. He was surprised that her dad had remembered his birthday, though maybe Rachel had reminded him.

"Nonsense Finn, it's wonderful to see you again." Hriam shook his hand with a smile. "I'd give you a hug now, but we can save that until after you've dried off."

Finn laughed and nodded, eyes falling on Rachel once she returned. He gave her a knowing look, and she had a feeling that he was going to admit that she was right.

"I should have charged my phone." He told her, grinning as she handed him the towel.

"Yes, you should have." She said simply, before standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. "I'll be right back, I have some of your old shirts and sweatpants with my things."

And with that, she was off again, bounding up the stairs to where Finn assumed she had her bags. He smiled to himself, turning to her father as he worked on drying his hair.

"Really though, Mr. Berry, it is great to see you again."

Hiram took a drink of his coffee, nodding in agreement.

"I'm grateful that you're back in my daughter's life." He replied, his eyes looking rather misty.

"Oh." Finn said, looking down at his feet for a moment. "Honestly, I'm just glad that she chose me… again, that is."

Her dad gave him a look, asking him to continue.

"Rachel is the love of my life. I know we've had our ups and downs, but she's it for me. I want to marry her one day, just as much as I did when we were still in high school." Finn was rambling now. "I still have the ring. I'm not going to use the same one, obviously, but it's a nice reminder that she said yes to me once. She's my Rachel, and it reminds me that she loves me enough to spend her life with me."

Hiram held a hand up, chuckling to himself.

"Finn, I've known that you were the one for my little girl the moment she came home after your first glee club meeting. She had stars in her eyes, and she was so happy. You should have seen her face, she was _glowing._ You know that you have my blessing to marry her."

Finn swallowed down the lump in his throat, unable to keep his smile from taking up his whole face.

"I'm going to love her forever."

* * *

Rachel looked through her suitcases, trying to find the one that held all of the clothes she'd taken from Finn over the course of their relationship. She had at least five of his shirts, though only one pair of sweats since he was a giant compared to her. She also had one of his hoodies, an old McKinley one that he'd only gotten in case he couldn't find his letterman.

"Aha!" she mumbled, unzipping a red suitcase. One shirt had Finn's number on it from when he was quarterback, and it was the biggest one of the bunch. She grabbed that, the sweats, and his hoodie before quietly making her way downstairs.

She knew that her father was going to talk to Finn, and maybe she was a little nosy, so she wanted to sneak down. She paused as she caught what seemed to be the tail end of a conversation.

"—You know that you have my blessing to marry her."

Tears welled up behind her eyes, and she didn't know if it was possible to feel that happy.

"I'm going to love her forever."

Gasping quietly, Rachel brought a hand up to cover her mouth, praying to God that she wouldn't sob too loudly. She wiped her eyes with Finn's hoodie, taking a deep breath before making her way down the last of the stairs.

"Ta da!" she announced, handing her boyfriend his clothes. ( She kept the hoodie to herself, an action going unnoticed by Finn. )

"Thanks Rach! I'm surprised that you still have these." he said, before taking in her appearance. Worry immediately settled in his beautiful eyes. "Babe, have you been crying?"

She waved it off.

"Yeah, your shirt just brought back a lot of good memories, that's all." Her voice sounded thick, but Finn knew better than to question it. Everyone knew better than to accuse Rachel of lying. Many arguments were had over _that _particular statement.

"If you say so." He said cheekily, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go change."

Hiram led Finn to the bathroom, telling him that he was free to take a shower if he wanted. Rachel heard Finn admit that a shower sounded wonderful.

"I'm so lucky to have you." she whispered to herself, holding the hoodie close to her heart.


End file.
